#Friends-of-irc Channel Classes
IRC For Beginners Class
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This page should not be taken as legal or medical counsel , but only as recommendation from a collection of sources.
IRC for Beginners
IRC stands for "Internet Relay Chat". IRC was invented as an improvement for the UNIX talk command, which is more limited. On IRC, a user can chat in real time with anyone currently logged on to the same network. There are a number of different networks involved in this international chat.
IRC was created in 1988 by Jarkko Oikarinen, in Finland. IRC is now used in many countries around the world, and is a popular and fun way for people to meet worldwide.
Here are some important basic definitions to know when you are on IRC:
User - This is a person who is operating a computer. You are a user right now.
Channel - A channel is a virtual chat room on IRC--a place where people can meet and talk with each other.
Client - The program you use to connect to an IRC server. Some popular clients are mIRC, Ircle, pIRCh, and ircII.
Server - The program the clients connect to for chat. The server is like the post office. (Only faster
Network - Servers (and/or networks) are linked together to create a network. Some networks include ChatWorks, which you are on now, Undernet, and DALnet. The Internet is merely a big Network--a bunch of Networks linked together. Users on one IRC network cannot chat with users who are not connected to a server on that same IRC network, even if that user is connected to a server on a different IRC network.
How IRC works is simple. When you type a line of text and hit {ENTER}, that text goes to the server you are using. The server is linked to other network servers, so the line you typed is displayed to the other users on the Network.
Of course this always can't happen quickly. With the growing traffic on the Internet, sometimes there is lag. Simply put, lag is the time between when you send a message and when other users see it.
Common causes of lag are that servers are too full, or when a netsplit is ready to occur. As an IRC user, you might as well get used to netsplits. A netsplit happens when the network splits into two networks when a server link is closed. A link can close because of bad routing, server traffic, a problem with the operating system on the server's machine, or other factors.
In order to connect to one of the servers on an IRC network, you will need to download and configure an IRC chat client. You can obtain an IRC chat client by doing a search for one from the Web.
Another alternative is web-based chat, where the server itself acts as the client, and users fill out and send web-based forms to transfer information.
Windows 3.x
Windows95/NT mIRC http://www.mirc.co.uk
Windows 3.x/95/NT Pirch
http://www.pirch.com/
Apple MacOS Ircle http://www.ircle.com/
Unix ircII
http://www.dragondata.com/toast/software.html#unix
Set up your client so it works best for you. This way you can feel more comfortable while using IRC.
Most IRC clients ask for a real name. Don't enter your real name or real email address here. The information you enter here is available to all the other IRC users, so enter a fun name to protect your privacy.
Select a nickname. A nickname is the name people will recognize as you on IRC. Try not to pick one that is too general, because others might use that, and then your friends will get confused. You may also wish to avoid gender-specific nicknames or suggestive nicknames. Your nickname is limited to nine characters on many networks on the Internet. Again, think of safety considerations.
The next step after installing and configuring your software is connecting to a server. The server holds information about channels and users in them. The server also routes your messages to other servers it is connected to in the network.
When you try to connect to a server, you may see a message that says you've received a server error. If this happens, try connecting to another server, or try connecting later.
Try to pick a server as close as you can to where you live. For example, if you live in Texas USA, you would probably pick a Texas USA server, or at least something in that general part of the USA.
Many large cities have servers. For a list of servers check out http://www.irchelp.org/irchelp/networks/servers/
Since you are Online now, you should be able to do this without much difficulty. If you have questions about connecting to a particular server, please refer to your client's help file or ask after class.
Every IRC command starts with a /
All commands do not work on all the networks, but they should work with all chat clients. Try them out and see your results for each. These commands help make chat safer and more fun for you.
/NICK
/ISON
/WHOIS
Channels:
Channels are like virtual rooms--places to meet with others and chat.
Some new users channels are #newbies and #new2irc, as well as channels for your specific IRC client, like #mIRC or #PIRCH.
To get a list of open channels on the network, type /raw list >4 in mIRC OR /verbose list >4 in PIRCH. ircII uses /quote list >4. This will give you a list of all the channels on the network with more than four people in them.
The /LIST command has been removed from many Internet servers by the administrators. It took up too much bandwidth (think of bandwidth as chat space). On some networks, you can still type /LIST and a list of all channels will be sent from the server to your client. These lists can be huge, and the fast stream of information can flood you off the network (cause you to be disconnected because you are requesting too much information too quickly.)
IRC channels start with # or &. # is most commonly used because # channels are available globally to all users on the network. For example, #Angelclasses is a channel. #Angelclasses is available to all users regardless of which server on this network they're using. Channel names have a maximum length of 200 characters.
A & channel is only available to users on your local IRC server. For example, &newbrunswick may be a channel for newbrunswick.NJ.US.Undernet.ORG server users. This kind of channel is used rarely.
Channels on one IRC network are not available to users on other IRC networks. That is, users on a channel named #Friends-of-irc on DALnet cannot chat with users on a channel named #Friends-of-irc on Chatworks.
It's easy to join a channel and chat once you're logged on to an IRC server:
/JOIN
Once you have decided which channel to join, just join the channel by typing /join #channelname {enter} then watch the flow of conversation to see what it's all about. Start by saying hello when it seems appropriate, just as if you were a new member to a group that was meeting in person.
Your behavior on channels is an important aspect of Internet use. Be sure to look at the topic of the channel for more info.
Remember, other users cannot see you face to face. They form their opinions about you from what you type. Always think about what you are typing before you hit enter.
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Some more general advice to make your IRCing more fun, both for yourself and other users:
Overall, just try to be nice to people.
Do not be rude, and do not say anything you wouldn't say face to face. Remember, there is a person on the other side of all Internet communications, including IRC communications. For more on this topic, attend our The Person on the Other Side class.
Try not to say hello and goodbye to every user that comes and goes. It is generally considered rude to interrupt conversation by constantly saying hello, even if you are trying to be friendly. TYPING IN ALL CAPS is also considered rude. Capitalization is the IRC equivalent of shouting. Do not type one line over and over to try to get people's attention. This is known as text flooding, and is against the rules in just about every channel.
Try not to type very long lines. Before you display long ascii art files (more than one line) or files that use color codes, check to make sure these are acceptable in the channel you are in. Not every IRC client displays colors, and the codes are displayed as a series of boxes to users with those clients.
Never harass other users.
Sometimes other users may use clones, which are multiple connections from the same user. If at all possible, only use one connection when you are on the Internet.
The @ symbol by someone's nickname in the channel names list means the user is a channel operator. Channel operators have the ability to perform special commands to help run the channel, such as kicking users (removing them from the channel) or banning users (preventing them from entering the channel) and setting the channel topic and other channel settings. The @ symbol is called "ops".
Be sure to follow directions, if any, set by the chanops.
If you want to, send another user a private message. Some people prefer to be asked before entering a private chat with a stranger.
/QUERY
/NOTICE
/NOTICE @#
/DCC CHAT
/DCC SEND
To make an action statement, type /me
Other ways to make statements are /say and /describe.
type /say message
type /describe #
Remember that IRC, as a whole, is not moderated. When you join a channel, you are entering someone else's meeting place. If a channel operator in any channel decides to kick or ban you for any reason, about all you can do is go find another channel to join.
Many channels have specific rules regarding who may join, who may chat, and when and why to kick and ban users. CyberAngels Organization has specific rules for kicking and banning. These rules will be covered in another class.
You may also encounter people or channels that you find offensive or disturbing--or worse!--and wonder why the network allows such channels. Because of our rights of free speech, in many cases these channels have a right to exist in a public place.
Simply talking about certain topics, while many will find these topics disturbing, or even disgusting, is generally not illegal.
Remember, you are free to leave any channel you find offensive, and you are free not to enter it in the first place. The networks do not moderate the content or discussions.)
/IGNORE
/IGNORE
We are here to teach everyone how to enjoy cyberspace, safely. We are not vigilantes. Actually, we are more like the neighborhood watch, where caring community volunteers look out for their neighbors. Our neighborhood is worldwide and we are all members of the Internet community.
If you encounter any illegal or questionable material you wish to report, you may email parry@cyberangels.org with your concerns.
To quit IRC with a message type /quit
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PROBLEMS:
If there are no ops on a channel, on the surface it seems that the channel cannot do anything about annoying or flooding people who enter it. Each person in the channel can, of course, /IGNORE the troublemaker.
You can report trouble to an IRC operator if necessary. To find an IRC OPER with mIRC, type /who 0 o. Other clients use different commands for this, so refer to the program's help files.
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Cyberangels are a wonderful orginization on the web that can help anytime you find yourself in trouble , many thank to them for much of the informatin I will be presenting in these classes.
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